Mowing attachment for motor vehicles



July 5, 1938. M. RowLlsoN MOWING ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed March 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR /V/l- TO/v PowL/so/v BY ATTORNEY July 5, 1938. M. RowLlsoN MOWING ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed March 9, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Mn. ro/v PowLlso/v BY 2 ATTORNEY Patented July 5, 1938 UNITED 4STAT-ES PATENT OFFICE MOWING ATTACHMENT FOB MOTOR VEHICLES Milton Bowlison, Goshen, N. Y.

Application March 9, 1937, Serial No. 129,888

10 slow and `unproiitable and disadvantageous in many respects. When hay cutters are operated by tractors or the usual motorized equipment, the tractor is available only for that lpurpose, and remains idle when there is no hay to be cut. The small farmer, of which therev are many in this country, cannot afford a tractor or otherwise motorized hay cutter and also maintain a separate automobile or truclry to deliver his products, and consequently, he has had to rely upon the slow and tedious task of cutting his hay by using horses. 'I'his frequently places him at a disadvantage. as it isimportant that the hay be cut as rapidly as possible in order to prevent serious damage due to climatic conditions.

u It is, therefore. an object of this invention to provide a device which can be readily and conveniently attached or detached from the front of an automobile or truck for operating a hay cut-,- ter of the reciprocating type, without requiring 'ao material alteration of the automobile. With my device, when the farmer has finished cutting hay for the day, he can readily detach the hay cutter and apparatus from the automobile so that the latter can be used for road service. From actual u tests, it has been found that a hay cutter can be attached to or detached from my device in two minutes. By having my device available, the farmer need only maintain an automobile or truck which he can use the year round; and it is 40 not necessary to maintain a separate tractor or motorized hay cutter which remains idle the greater part of the year.

A further object is the provision of a device attachable to the forward end of an automobile 45 or the like for operating a standard type of reciprocating hay cutter, which device can be cornpletely controlled from the drivers seat of the automobile, and includes means controlled from the drivers seat for raising the hay cutter when 5 desired.

A further object is the provision of a simple and inexpensive device for readily and conveniently attaching power driven devices of various 55 kinds to the front of standard types of automobileswithout altering materially the structure of the automobile. I

These and other objects are attained by the novel construction, combination and arrange- .o ment of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, constituting a material part of this disclosure, and in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of the device attached to the iront of a standard type of automobile.

Fig. 2,is a front elevational view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the device.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational View of details of the device.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the positions of controls for the device adjacent the drivers seat of an automobile.

Referring to the drawings, (see Figs. 1 and 2) the device is shown to comprise a cross-bar l, which is attached to the forward end of the chassis of an automobile by means of the bolts ordinarily used for attaching a bumper to the automobile. While not shown in the drawings, a bumper can also be attached to the automobile while my device is attached thereto. Obviously, by means of the bar I, the device can be attached to any type of automobile, regardless of the width thereof, as it is only necessary to provide holes in the bar I at the proper places to accommodate the particular width. The bolts 2, by means of which the bar Iv is attached, are the standard bolts of the automobile.

Attached to the bar i, at the left side of the crankshaft of the automobile, is a bracket 3, to which is attached a coiled spring 4, which is attached to the upwardly curved forward heel shoe i9 of a hay cutter 2| ofva standard reciprocating type, the particular hay cutter shown being of the left-hand type, which is a feature of my arrangement as automobiles in the United States are controlled from the left-hand side. `The driver is thus enabled to have full view of theA cutter andthe operation thereof at all times.

A pitman 3 is attached to the reciprocating knife of the cutter 2l and to a pulley 6 rotatably mounted on a shaft journalled in a bearing 3 attached to the bar l. A belt 1 passes over the pulley 6 and over a pulley 8, which is rotatably mounted on a stub shaft 33, (see Figs. 3, 4) which is connected by means of a key 34 to the crankshaft 32 of the automobile near the automobile pulley used for driving the usual fan belt 3|. The crankshafts of various types of automobile diifer slightly in some respects; but such diiferences do not materially affect the connecting of my stub shaft 33 to any crankshaft, as is obvious.

The male member 3l of a cone clutch is xed to the shaft 33, and the female member 33 of the clutch is attached to the pulley l, which also has attached thereto a collar 3l, bymeans of which the member 36 can be shifted from engagement with the male member 33. A coiled spring 33 bears against the collar 3l and a head I3 xed to the end of the shaft 33, so that spring 33 normally maintains the clutch members 36 and 33 in engagement.

The clutch members are disengaged by the movement of an arm 39, fixed to a shaft 4B, jour- .a lever 46.

Attached to the bar I, on the left side of the automobile is a bracket I0 which supports a bearing II, through which passes a pin I2, (see Fig. l) which also passes through the ends o-f arms I3 and I5 of a member I4, having at the junction of the arms I3 and- I5l a head I6 which rotatably receives a' pin -6I projecting upwardly v from a member 62,to which is attached a hanger I1, having a pin 22 rotatably. receiving an upstanding stud I8 integral with theshoe I9. The rear end of the shoe is upwardly curved as shown at 20, so that when the automobile and cutter are moved backwards the cutter will not be obstructed.

Attached to the shoe is an upstanding bar 23,' hooked to a turnbuckle 24, to which is attached a cable 25, passing over pulleys 26 and 21, sup

ported by a'bracket 28, mounted on the bar I.

The cable 25 passes also overa pulley 29, and is directed through the hood of the automobile to a lever 45, mounted on. the floor boards of the automobile adjacent the driver-s seat. When it is desired to raise the cutter 2|, 'the lever 45 is pulled backwards, which movement first raises the outerv free end of the4 cutter by causing a pivoting about pin 22. Further pulling on the lever 45 raises the heel shoe I9 and 20, by causing a pivoting about pin I2.

Attached to the bar I is an upstanding brace 63 which supports the stub shaft 33.

From the above description, it will be seen that there has been provided a simple and convenient attachment to standard types of automobiles, by means of which hay cutters of the reciprocating type can be effectively operated to enable the cutting of hay more rapidly than has heretofore been possible by means of horses or tractors. The device enables the detachment or attachment of a hay cutter in a short space of time, such as two minutes, thus rendering the motor vehicle available for use on roads for delivery and other purposes.

'Ihe foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descriptive and illustrativeonly, and not as re; strictive or limitative of the invention, of which obviously an embodiment can be constructed including modifications without departing from the general scope herein indicated and denoted in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In a hay cutting attachment for a standard type of automobile having longitudinal side fr'ame members and a crank shaft, a flat crossbar of substantially uniform cross-section adapted to be adjustably attached to the extreme forward ends of the side frame members of an automobile, a rst bracket attached to and depending from the bar, a first pulley rotatably supported by the bracket, a stub shaft supported by said bar and adapted to be connected to the extreme forward end of the crankshaft of the automobile, a second pulley rotatably mounted o-n said shaft, a clutch for connecting the second pulley to the `stub shaft, a belt passing over said pulleys,a second bracket depending from said bar and having a horizontal bearing, a normally horizontaltriangular member having a pair of spaced bearings in alinement with and embracing the ends of the horizontal bearing, a pivot pin passing through said bearings, a normally vertical member connected to said triangular member for rotation about a 'vertical axis, a hay cutter of the reciprocating type, said cutter having its inner end connected to the vertical member for rotation about a horizontal axis, and means associated with said rst pulley for reciprocating the blades of said cutter.

2. The hay, cutting attachment set forth in claim 1 being further characterized by the automobile having a hood and by a vertical bar attached to the inner end of the hay cutter, a cable attached to the upper end of the bar, guide pulleys for the cable supported by said fiat crossbar, said cable passing through the hood of the automobile and extending to a, position within the body of the automobile adjacent the drivers seat.

3. A hay cutting attachment for standard types ported by said second bracket. a vertical member pivotally supported by said horizontal member for rotation about a vertical axis, a hay cutter of the reciprocating blade type having a heel shoe, said vertical member being connected pivotally to said heel shoe, a pitman connected to said pulley and thereciprocating blade of the hay cutter, and means attached to the extreme forward end of the crank-shaft of the automobile for driving said pulley.

4. A hay cutting attachment forstandard types of automobiles having longitudinal side frame members and a crank shaft, comprising a cross bar having means to enable it to be attached to the extreme forward ends of the side frame members, a first bracket attached to and depending from said bar, a pulley rotatably mounted onA said bracket, a second bracket attached to and depending from the bar and supporting a. horizontal bearing, a normally horizontal member having bearings, a pin passing through said bearings so that said member is pivotally supported by said second bracket, a vertical member pivotally supported by said horizontal member for rotation about a vertical axis, a hay cutter of the reciprocating blade type having a heel shoe, said vertical member being connected pivotally to said heel shoe, a pitman connected to said pulley and the reciprocating blade of the hay cutter, and means attached to the extreme forward end of the crank shaft f the automobile for driving said pulley. i

MILTON ROWLISON. 

